I have read this whole discussion in one go. Very
interesting indeed. And I would hope to be able to join in
Bologna in July.
I would like to thank Oriana for her post (which I have
shorten, but kept below).
Here 2 questions for you all that I am asking myself :
1 - We are all discussing here in English. How many
countries in the Mediterranean Rim have English as their
official and/or everyday language ? Gibraltar, I suspect.
And Malta. And ?
Is language a cultural heritage ? Should we preserve them ?
How ?
In the inclusive approach of Salvatore, how do we include
the languages ?
How do we "name" the Mediterranean Rim in our different
languages ?
In French, we can use "bassin méditerranéen", but it is more
used in a climate-physical geography approach. When we want
to talk about the countries and the political-cultural
geo-zone, (migrants crisis and disaster, wars, etc.), we say
"en Méditerranée" ('in' Mediterranean sea), or 'pays de la
Méditerranée' (countries of the Mediterranean sea). Note
that we never use the word "sea", Méditerranée is enough.
So basically, we are describing a "territory" through the
"water-hole" that is in the middle.
2 - Innovation
Some months ago (may be 2 years now, actually ...), I was
reading one of the memoirs submitted to Leonardo Pioneers &
Pathbreakers memoir project. It was describing the process
and researches at Bell Labs in the 60's. (art-ingeneer-science).
Something we recognize now as great period, achievements,
innovation, etc., as a model. The author was describing the
hard struggle they had to convince the bosses that what they
were doing was great job and usefull (although they were
asked somehow to "innovate" and were in a rather "friendly"
environnement where artists were accepted).
That lead me to this question to all the current promoters
of "creativity-innovation" : if you were seeing innovation,
would you recognize it ?
Isn't what we call "innovation" today, just the short term
answer to previous questions (hence all those things that
are made today but look like old SciFi stuff from 20th
Century) and in no manner any long term, or forthcoming
(sorry, missing english to express myself as I would like
to) proposition for tomorow's life ?
Oh, and I don't believe there is such a thing as "raw" data,
because to get "data" you need a "collecting tool" and this
is already a bias ...
Annick
Le 23/05/2017 à 00:47, oriana persico a écrit :
> dear Yasminers,
>
> I always loved the name of this list, but now I can picture it connected to
> the discussion: it allow me to imagine ourselves speaking in an Istanbul
> cafeteria, in Tunisia, in my beloved South of Italy or in Marseille wrapped
> by the same delicate perfume, the Yasmin.
>
> one thing is sure: there can not be meaningful discussion if one does not
> put things in context.
>
> right now, talking about geography in the Mediterranean Rim is a sensitive
> political act. define the boundaries of cultural heritage in Mediterranean
> Rim is a sensitive political act: what shall we protect and feed and, most
> important of all, connect with? once we eventually define this geography,
> have those place the same citizenship, the same chance to survive and be
> integral subjects of the conversation? are they this very conversation? if
> not, why? can we bring them in?
>
> in 2014 I have experienced the precise feeling of a cultural deprivation,
> which allow me to discuss this topic from a personal-not so personal point
> of view.
>
> In those days Salvatore an I were in Yale for a semester. I was taking
> different classes, among them one about women and autobiography. one book
> was the transcription of a blog written by a young woman from Iraq of my
> exact age (I'm 37 now). She passed to two Iraqi wars, as I did: me watching
> it from television, she under the bombs, desperately searching for water,
> electricity, internet connection - her fading link to the world outside.
>
> autobiographies are pretty much like conversations: you enter someone else
> life, the part they allow to share in a intimate/public way. in this space
> - speaking with this unknown Iraqi girl - I found my self realizing
> (meaning here "to feel") that Iraq was the Fertile Crescent (la Mezzaluna
> Fertile) I have studied in history since I was a kid. books and teachers
> always told me that this were the roots of our "civilization": from this
> sophisticated people we have learned, among many things, how to build
> beautiful gardens.
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